Shares of Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500), which have helped lift broader markets, will remain in focus after shedding nearly 9% over the past five days. Apple shares were up 0.5% in premarket trading.

Before the opening bell, banking giant Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500) reported a quarterly profit of $2.1 billion on $9.95 billion in revenue. Goldman also boosted its quarterly dividend by 31% to 46 cents a share. But weak investment banking revenue continued to ding the firm, sending shares lower in pre market trading.

Worries about Europe eased slightly after the latest edition of an index based on German investor sentiment came in unexpectedly high. An auction of Spanish 12- and 18-month treasury bills also drew strong demand, said Markus Huber, a senior trader with TX Capital in the United Kingdom.

"It brings a bit of relief after the recent auctions have been rather worrying," he said.

However, investors remain nervous about Spain, where bond yields rose above 6% Monday -- the highest level in several months. The Spanish government, which will auction bonds later this week, has been struggling with rising borrowing costs amid fears that it may need to be bailed out.

Spanish 10-year yields eased to 5.89% on Tuesday morning. On Thursday, the country will hold a closely watched auction of 10-year bonds.

In India, the central bank surprised observers on Tuesday by cutting interest rates by 0.5%, an attempt to ward off a slowdown in the world's second-most populous country.

Economy: Before the opening bell, the Commerce Department reported that March housing starts occurred at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 654,000, below expectations and down from February's rate of 694,000.

March applications for building permits, an indication of future construction activity, came in at an annual rate of 747,000, ahead of expectations and up from February's rate of 715,000.